Ch.73Myriad Sword Emperor

The mana that had dominated the hall gradually subsides. The bitter winter cold that filled the surroundings and the sharp aura emanating from the small girl’s body both disappear.

In urgent situations, what’s most familiar to the body tends to emerge first. Perhaps they had prepared this ambush to examine the origin of her swordsmanship. But it wasn’t enough. Theo and Flora didn’t even need to draw their swords.

She had handled it entirely on her own.

Sae-erin gave a meaningful glance to her friends, who wore bewildered expressions. They were in the heart of enemy territory. They couldn’t stop acting as the characters they had established.

‘How should we get out of here?’

It was a problem without a predetermined answer. They were walking a precarious tightrope, but that’s precisely why they needed to act boldly. A look of intense displeasure appeared on the girl’s face. With one hand resting on her sword, she swept back her hair with the other.

Her gaze remained fixed on one spot—directed toward the presence she had sensed when the attackers tore through the tent.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Her voice carried mana as it flowed out. Though not loud, it spread with a peculiar tremor, enough to be perceived by everyone around. It was completely different from her usual manner of speaking, yet strangely, it didn’t feel awkward.

It was like wearing clothes that fit perfectly.

Sae-erin lightly jumped over the fallen figures and exited the tent. Signs of battle were evident. Though no sounds of clashing weapons had been heard, this was a place where fierce energy waves had erupted. It was natural that all eyes would turn here.

Sae-erin calmly accepted the hundreds of gazes as she walked in a straight line. Theo and Flora, having regained their senses belatedly, also began to move. They revealed their auras with hands resting on their swords.

The energy waves emitted by the two collided, creating a small storm. The swirling dust rose up, surrounding Sae-erin as if escorting her. With the storm at her back, Sae-erin stopped a few steps away from the man.

Only then did the man speak.

“You’re not just some random rabble, I see. Your gait, the way you draw your sword—strangely familiar. Did you come from the Central Plains? Swordsmen from cold regions typically draw their swords with that stance…”

His calm tone made it sound as if he were asking if she’d had breakfast. But the content was anything but casual. He was certain she was a transmigrator and was asking about her origin. Sae-erin wasn’t flustered. She simply spoke calmly, letting the words flow.

“The Central Plains martial world I know must be different from yours. You send people to ambush us, and then expect to have a pleasant conversation?”

She didn’t deny her origin but clearly expressed her displeasure. That was the right answer. A deep smile spread across the man’s face.

“I apologize if you were offended. But it was necessary. This place will be the cornerstone of a nation soon to be established. We can’t just accept anyone, can we?”

‘A nation being established…’

She had gained significant information right from the start. If she hadn’t played the role of a transmigrator, it might have taken considerable time to learn this. While inwardly satisfied, Sae-erin stared directly at the man’s face.

His attitude remained arrogant. To avoid escalating the situation, she should take a step back here. But she didn’t want to. Given the character she was portraying, it was someone who would choose to fight to the death rather than retreat.

She needed to make a strong first impression. Sae-erin drew her sword.

“Fugitives from the Empire’s hounds want to establish a nation? That would make those dogs laugh.”

“I won’t deny it. Most who found their way here are like that. But aren’t you the same as us? You don’t use qi. You’ve modified your incantations to substitute mana for the flow of qi. You’ve worked hard to avoid the Empire’s attention, it seems.”

Silence descended. This man wouldn’t yield a single word. He was extremely arrogant. If she didn’t put him in his place now, it could greatly hinder her future plans.

‘Should I kill him…’

She gauged her skills against his. It seemed she could win. The man probably wasn’t showing his full capabilities either, but Sae-erin was also concealing more than thirty percent of her true skill.

“Draw your sword. I won’t launch a cowardly surprise attack like your people. Just as you tested us, I too will test you and this place.”

“The sect leader will be returning soon…”

The man said this as he drew his sword. It wasn’t the typical sword form seen in this world. Rather, it closely resembled the White Dragon Sword that Sae-erin was holding.

“I’ll indulge you for a moment.”

As he drew his sword, the man’s aura changed. Sae-erin and the man simultaneously stomped the ground. A rough pressure burst forth, creating a hazy storm.

At the same time, their swords clashed violently.

Clang-!

She wouldn’t use the Taebaek Snow Dragon Sword technique. These people were forming a group and trying to establish a nation. They must have information about the Cheongik members. She couldn’t use the Empire’s Seoguang technique either.

But that wasn’t a problem. Sae-erin possessed the memories of countless swordsmen. She could freely switch between incantations. She appropriately employed the Namgung family’s Imperial Sword and the Green Forest’s Lightning Mountain-Breaking Sword.

“What…!”

The man couldn’t help but be greatly surprised. A faint image of a swordsman appeared from the small girl’s body. It felt like fighting multiple swordsmen simultaneously. The trajectory of her sword was strange. Sometimes it approached like a snake, hiding its true intent, and other times it unleashed fierce energy waves that tore everything apart.

The occasional imperial aura that constricted his entire body reminded him of the Namgung family.

This wasn’t merely imitating sword forms. There was depth to every strike. It didn’t make sense. How could one person wield such diverse sword techniques? The ability to freely switch between sword styles meant she had trained deeply in each.

It was a realm difficult to reach in a single lifetime. That’s why it was hard to understand. If she had delved into just one sword technique, she could have reached an even higher level.

Clang-!

After pushing away the girl’s sword, the man retreated. He created distance until they were beyond each other’s sword reach. Was it to catch his breath? Sae-erin tilted her head curiously but followed the man.

That’s when it happened. The man took a strange stance. His entire body lowered slightly as he assumed a qi-gathering position. His sword was pulled back, and one hand was raised as if to envelop it.

A thrust?

No. It would be difficult to put full force into that stance. Then what was he aiming for? At that moment, Sae-erin felt an ominous premonition. Her survival instinct, honed in the wilderness, was sending a warning.

Her body reacted first. As light shot from the man’s hand, she swung her sword upward.

Tang-!

“Ugh…!”

The impact transmitted to her hand was tremendous. A strike imbued with incredible inner force sent the sword in her hand flying. The White Dragon Sword rose into the sky, spinning and scattering sunlight in all directions.

‘He sent my sword flying…?’

It wasn’t simply thrown. In the brief moment when the swords collided, she felt traces of intricately built-up energy. The man’s attack wasn’t over yet. His sword, which had flown into the air, suddenly stopped its trajectory and changed direction.

Was this the manifestation of the legendary flying sword technique from the Central Plains? Her thoughts didn’t linger long. Sae-erin immediately had to draw a new sword.

Shing-

The hastily drawn sword was the Moonlight Sword. Sae-erin immediately had to unleash sword strikes toward the incoming flying sword.

Clash-!

It was as if the sword had a will of its own. The force behind it was also formidable. The man who had thrown the sword was watching from a distance, hands behind his back.

‘It seems he can’t move simultaneously…’

That’s when it happened. Another intense energy wave was felt from somewhere. Hurriedly turning her body and swinging her sword, she blocked another sword flying through the air.

Clang-!

‘Two swords…’

Suddenly, the story of the Ten Thousand Sword Emperor came to mind. A transmigrator said to wield ten thousand swords alone. How many swords could this man under him control?

‘I want it…’

She had witnessed a new sword technique. It contained profound martial principles that couldn’t be replicated just by watching. Her hands itched. Sae-erin quickly evaded the flying sword.

‘Now…!’

The second flying sword approached rapidly. Sae-erin’s form rotated as she smoothly deflected the sword. Simultaneously, she boldly reached out her hand. The timing was slightly off, and the sword’s edge lightly cut her hand, but she succeeded in grabbing the hilt.

Thud-!

The sword Sae-erin caught was the one the man had been wearing from the beginning. As her small hand gripped the sword, memories began to flow in. The man’s brief life quickly flashed through Sae-erin’s mind.

From that life, she captured one martial arts incantation.

Absorb, Release, Scatter, Break.

An incantation consisting of four parts. Through the memories, she could tell there were more incantations following these. However, the man’s talent was mediocre, and he had only mastered these four.

Therefore, only these four were transmitted to Sae-erin. She immediately drew up all her mana. Then she extended her leg forward, taking a firm stance. A violent storm of mana erupted, enveloping the hall.

At that moment, all swords in the vicinity rose into the air as if defying gravity. The three swords Sae-erin possessed were no exception. Even the man’s sword, which had been prowling around targeting her, broke free from control and changed direction.

That’s when it happened. The swords under Sae-erin’s control suddenly lost their power and fell to the ground.

Someone was approaching. It was a presence that everyone present could feel. A massive presence was approaching from a location not far from the construction site.

“The, the sect leader seems to have arrived. Let’s stop here.”

The man, who seemed flustered, waved his hand. Following his gesture, the two swords that had been embedded in the ground rose and returned to him. Sae-erin did nothing, only staring at the location from which the presence was felt.